Maryland ELA RF.4-5.3.a

ELAGrades 4–5Reading Foundational Skills

The Standard

RF.4-5.3: Know and apply phonics and word analysis skills in reading (decoding) and writing (encoding) words. Know and apply phonics skills to read (decode) and write (encode) words. Read (decode) and write (encode) multi-syllable words. Read (decode) and write (encode) words with prefixes and derivational suffixes. Read (decode) and write (encode) words containing Greek combining forms. When appropriate, consider the etymology (word origin) of unknown words to support reading (decoding) and writing (encoding). Use knowledge of spelling rules, syllable types, morphology, and etymology to Write (encode) words with accuracy and automaticity.

Know and apply phonics skills to read (decode) and write (encode) words.

Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for English Language Arts (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students break unfamiliar words into parts and blend the sounds to read them. They use spelling patterns and word parts to write words they hear.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students read words like 'replaying' and 'unhelpful' aloud and show how the parts help. They spell 'hoping' and 'hopping' correctly when they hear each word in a sentence.
Common Misconceptions: Students may guess a long word from its first letters instead of reading every part. They may write 'hopeing' for 'hoping' or confuse 'hoping' with 'hopping.'
How to Assess It: Display 'disagreement' and have students mark its parts, then read it aloud to a partner as you listen. Dictate 'replaying' and check that they spell it with 'ay.'

Lesson moves

Give pairs letter tiles to build 'hope,' 'hoping,' 'hop,' and 'hopping,' moving tiles to show each spelling change.
Ask partners, 'Why does hoping have one p but hopping has two?' Have them point to the vowels as they explain.
Sort 'replaying,' 'payment,' 'hoping,' 'waving,' 'hopping,' and 'running' under vowel team, dropped e, or doubled consonant.
Show a store sign reading 'Reusable bags encouraged'; students read 'reusable,' then write a second sign using 'refillable.'

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to RF.4-5.3.a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Keep exploring

Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.